Intro call
A short call about what you want to be able to do, what your week actually looks like, and anything a coach needs to know before loading you. Rates and block options are covered here.
Strength & trail coaching
Built for the ridge,
not for the mirror
One-to-one coaching in six-week blocks for people who want to carry a pack up a long climb, lift something heavy without worrying, and still train in twelve years' time.
- 45–75 minSession length by lane
- Two fixed slotsSame days each week
- Studio & trailIndoor floor, outdoor hills
How it works
Four steps from first message to first re-test
No sign-up wall and no twelve-week commitment before anyone has seen you move. Each stage has a job, and you can stop after any of them.
Movement screen
On the studio floor: squat, hinge, push, pull, carry and a short step-up test. We find your working ranges and a sensible starting load rather than guessing from a questionnaire.
Your first block
Six weeks written around your two fixed slots, with the between-session work kept to what you will realistically do. You get the plan in writing, including what each session is for.
Re-test and rewrite
At the end of the block we repeat the screen, compare numbers, and decide together what the next six weeks should chase — more load, more hill, or more resilience.
Training lanes
Three ways to train here
Pick the lane that matches your week. Most people start in one and move across after a block or two — that switch costs nothing.
Ridge Strength · one to one
Barbell and kettlebell work on the studio floor, coached rep by rep. The spine of the programme: squat, hinge, press, pull and loaded carries, progressed week to week with your numbers written down each session.
- Session60 minutes
- Group sizeYou and the coach
- WhereStudio floor
- BringFlat shoes, water
Trail Conditioning · pairs
Hill repeats, pack carries and downhill control on the ridge path, run as a pair so the pacing stays honest. Built for walkers, fell runners and anyone whose weekends involve a long climb and a heavy bag.
- Session75 minutes
- Group sizeTwo people
- WhereRidge path, meet at the gate
- BringTrail shoes, layers, pack
Return to Load · rebuild
For coming back after a long break, a quiet year, or once a physiotherapist has discharged you. Shorter sessions, slower progressions, and a written note of what we are deliberately not doing yet.
- Session45 minutes
- Group sizeYou and the coach
- WhereStudio floor
- Starts withMovement screen
A typical week
What two sessions a week looks like
Two coached slots, one short piece of homework, and a rest day protected on purpose. This is the shape most blocks take in week three.
TuesdayCoached: lower-body strength, loaded carry finish
ThursdayCoached: upper-body push and pull, trunk work
SaturdayYours: a long walk or easy run, pace noted
One eveningTen minutes of ankle and hip work, filmed if you want feedback
SundayDeliberate rest — no step target, no make-up session
Right fit
Is this the right coaching for you?
Coaching works when it matches the week you actually have. Read both columns honestly — if the right-hand one sounds more like you, say so on the call and you will get pointed somewhere better.
A good fit if
- You can hold two fixed slots a week for six weeks.
- You want to be told what to do and, more importantly, why.
- You are training for capacity that lasts — hills, luggage, grandchildren, decades.
- You are happy to log sessions so progressions are based on numbers.
- You like being outdoors in weather that is merely unpleasant.
- You are starting from zero and want that treated as normal.
Probably not yet if
- You want a thirty-day transformation with a deadline photo.
- You need a meal plan or macro targets — that belongs with a registered dietitian.
- You are mid-way through treatment for an acute injury and have not been discharged.
- Your diary only allows training when a week happens to be quiet.
- You would rather follow an app than be coached in person.
- You are looking for a large group class atmosphere.
Your coach
Nell Harrow
I came to coaching from eleven seasons of hill walking and one very educational year of doing almost everything in the wrong order. That is why the first thing I do is watch you move, and the second is write down the plan so you can hold me to it.
I coach small numbers on purpose: a limited set of slots, each one a real appointment rather than a booking in a queue. If you cannot make a session, you get the week's work in writing so the block does not stall.
Outside the studio I am usually on the ridge path testing whatever conditioning session I am about to ask someone else to do. If a session is miserable in a headwind, I would rather find that out first.
- QualificationLevel 3 Personal Trainer
- SpecialismBarbell strength & loaded carries
- Further trainingReturn-to-training after injury discharge
- OutdoorOutdoor first aid, hill leadership
- InsuranceFull professional cover
- Refers outNutrition & clinical rehab
Questions
Asked before most first sessions
The practical things people email about. If yours is not here, put it in the enquiry form and it gets answered properly rather than with a brochure line.
What actually happens in the first session?
The movement screen. We talk for ten minutes, then you squat, hinge, press, pull, carry and step up with light load while I take notes. You will finish knowing your starting loads and the two or three things we are prioritising.
It is not a fitness test and nothing is scored. Nobody is trying to make you fail at anything on day one.
Do I need my own kit or a gym membership?
No membership — studio sessions include everything on the floor. Bring flat shoes, water and a towel. For trail lanes you will want shoes with real grip, layers you can shed on a climb, and a pack you can load.
What happens if the weather turns on an outdoor session?
Rain, wind and cold go ahead — that is part of the point. Lightning, ice on the descent or a genuine visibility problem move the session indoors to the studio floor, and you will know by message well before you set off.
How far ahead do I book, and what is the cancellation window?
Your slots are fixed for the whole six-week block, so you book once rather than hunting for times each week. Move or cancel a session with more than twenty-four hours' notice and it is rescheduled inside the block. Inside twenty-four hours it counts as used, except for illness and genuine emergencies.
Can I train if I have never lifted anything before?
Yes, and it is the easiest place to start from because there are no habits to unpick. Beginners usually spend the first block on patterns and position with light load, which feels slow and then stops feeling slow somewhere around week four.
Do you write nutrition or meal plans?
No. I will talk about eating enough to recover from the work we are doing, and about fuelling a long day on the hill. Anything beyond that — medical diets, clinical weight management, macro prescriptions — goes to a registered dietitian, and I am happy to say so rather than improvise.
What if I work shifts or travel a lot?
Shift patterns are workable if they repeat predictably — we set your slots around the rota rather than against it. Frequent unpredictable travel is harder, and in that case a block of fewer, longer sessions plus written work you can do anywhere is usually the better buy.
How long before I notice anything?
Coordination and confidence under load tend to shift inside two or three weeks — the same weight simply feels more organised. Strength changes you can measure usually show at the week-six re-test, which is exactly why the block is six weeks long and ends with the same screen it started with.
Enquire
Ask about a slot in the next block
Tell me what you want to be able to do and which days are realistic. You will get a reply with the slots that are genuinely free and a time for the intro call — no sequence of marketing emails.